The last time the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers met on Lambeau Field, as you might remember, the 42-34 score did not go the way of the Saints, and with the current losing streak New Orleans has been struggling with, the Packers are confident. To be honest, they have a right to be.

The Packers have a 7-15 record going up against the Saints, not to mention a defense that is in the top three in the NFL. Also, and possibly most importantly, the Green Bay defense ranks first against the pass, which is not looking good for the Saints as quarterback Drew Brees looks to tie the NFL record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass in this, his 47th straight game. In order to have a chance at the record, Brees is going to have to be fast with his release against the top pass rushers and then trust his receiving corps against the secondary. Doing so will give the Saints the chance to put up big numbers in this matchup seeing as how Brees already has seven touchdown passes to his name in just three games so far this season. Remain hopeful that Brees can also trust his offensive line this game, because while they have not been as stalwart against the pass-rush so far this season, we are going to need to see a lot more from them going up against Packers linebacker Clay Matthews.

The bigger issues in the past few games for the Saints, however, have not necessarily been at offense. Yes, Brees has given up five interceptions already when last year he only gave up a total of 14, but he also puts up big numbers to redeem himself. Should the defense step up and give more resistance to opposing offenses, the scoreboard will favor the Saints. To do this against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay offense, New Orleans needs to pressure the run and cover deep. Again, cover deep. Rodgers has a strong arm and has already passed for a total of 745 yards this season, which falls to Brees’ 904 yards, but Rodgers’ stats come with a 67.8% completion rate, so giving him an open look is a dangerous gamble for the Saints.

All in all, this game needs to be a turning point for the New Orleans Saints. Brees needs to get his groove back and resume his role as one of the best quarterbacks in the league and the defense needs to step up and stop backing down. If the team of seasons past does not begin to shine through the lackluster shell of the 2012 season’s team to-date then the forecast will continue to be a cloudy one for the Saints. Here’s hoping the weather at Lambeau Field does not act as a predictor.